1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to nail guns. More particularly, the present invention relates to an attachment for a nail gun which is useful in the installation of roof shingles, particularly for the replacement or securing of a roof shingle partially covered by another shingle.
2. Description of the Related Art
During the installation of shingles on a roof, a run of shingles is made from the base to the top of the roof by nailing at a selected location between the roof side edges. The run has staggered, overlapping left and right shingles such that an upper right hand shingle overlaps the right upper quarter of the next lower left hand shingle, i.e., overlaps half the width and half the height of the left shingle. This procedure is alternated and repeated until a run 1½ shingles wide is completed. Additional lines of shingles are added on each side of the run until the roof is covered. During addition of a left line, starting at the base of the roof and moving upward, a new shingle is inserted adjacent and even with the a right hand shingle and underneath the lower left corner of the next left shingle in the first run, this process being continued to the roof top. This practice is repeated on the left and right of the run of shingles until the roof is covered.
Present practice requires that the lower corner of a left hand shingle be lifted by hand to insert a new shingle to meet the right hand shingle and for nailing in place. This is laborious, and the shingle may be fragile and easily broken or damaged requiring the use of both hands to place the shingle for nailing. The shingles are generally abrasive, requiring the use of gloves which wear quickly and make the lifting process more difficult.
The use of pneumatic nail guns is widespread in the construction and roofing industries. When a roofer uses both hands to insert a shingle in place for nailing, he must put down his nail gun, risking the gun sliding down the sloped roof, and then pick up the gun and position it for nailing, requiring time consuming motion.
It would be desirable to provide an attachment to the roofing nail gun which would allow the corner of the adjacent shingle to be raised and the new shingle slid underneath and nailed in place in a continuous motion, the roofer using one hand to place the new shingle in place and the other hand to lift up the corner of the adjacent shingle and nail the new shingle in place.
U.S. Des. Pat. No. 392,170, issued Mar. 17, 1998, to Hattori, illustrates a pneumatic nailing machine which is of the type useful with the present invention. U.S. Pat. No. 4,265,387, issued May 5, 1981, to Strouse, describes an apparatus for installing shingles on a roof enabling the roofer to stand while installing the shingles. U.S. Pat. No. 5,251,371, issued Oct. 12, 1993, to Powers, describes an attachment for a pneumatic nailer which has a forwardly protruding, spoon-like member for lifting an adjacent portion of a “T”-lock shingle to aid in placement of a new shingle while applying such shingles to a roof.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,205,103, issued Apr. 27, 1993, to Burton, describes a shingle laying apparatus to assist in nailing shingles horizontally along a roof. U.S. Pat. No. 5,628,445, issued May 13, 1997, to Braddock et al., describes a shingle gauge attachment for a roofing type pneumatic nail-driving tool.
None of the above inventions and patents, taken either singly or in combination, is seen to describe the instant invention as claimed. Thus a nail gun attachment for installation of roof shingles solving the aforementioned problems is desired.